1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator and a method for controlling the same.
2. Background
In general, a refrigerator has a plurality of storage compartments for accommodating food to be stored so as to store the food in a frozen or refrigerated state. The storage compartment may have one surface that is opened to receive or allow the retrieval of the food. The plurality of storage compartments include a freezing compartment for storing food in the frozen state and a refrigerating compartment for storing food in the refrigerated state.
A refrigeration system in which a refrigerant is circulated is driven in the refrigerator. The refrigeration system may include a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator. The evaporator may include a first evaporator disposed at a side of the refrigerating compartment and a second evaporator disposed at a side of the freezing compartment.
Cool air stored in the refrigerating compartment may be cooled while passing through the first evaporator, and the cooled cool air may be supplied again into the refrigerating compartment. The cool air stored in the freezing compartment may be also cooled while passing through the second evaporator, and the further cooled cool air may be supplied again into the freezing compartment.
In the refrigerator according to the related art, independent cooling may be performed in the plurality of storage compartments through separate evaporators. A refrigerant introduced into the first and second evaporators may be decompressed by the expansion device to change into a two-phase refrigerant, for example, a two-phase refrigerant having a relatively high dryness fraction, thereby deteriorating heat-exchange efficiency in the first and second evaporators.
The refrigerant may be also selectively supplied into the first or second evaporator according to a cooling operation mode, i.e., whether the refrigerating or freezing compartment cooling operation is performed. A phenomenon in which an amount of refrigerant circulating into the refrigeration cycle is lacking or insufficient according to operation mode conditions may occur.
In recent years, a refrigerator in which a storage compartment increases in capacity to receive a large amount of food in the storage compartment has become a trend. To effectively cool the storage compartment having large capacity, it may be necessary to manufacture a large condenser. However, there is manufacturing limit to a condenser having a size greater than a preset size in a situation in which the total size of the refrigerator is limited within a preset range.
As a result, in case of the refrigerator having the condenser that is limited in size, it may be difficult to secure sufficient condensation capacity, and thus, operation efficiency may be deteriorated.